Accident! by Andrea Tsurumi | SLJ Review

PreS-Gr 2 –When Lola the armadillo spills juice all over her family’s white chair, she hastily decides to run to the library, since “they have books and bathrooms,” and hide there till she’s a grown-up.

PreS-Gr 2 –When Lola the armadillo spills juice all over her family’s white chair, she hastily decides to run to the library, since “they have books and bathrooms,” and hide there till she’s a grown-up. Along the way she encounters other animals in similar situations: a bear who breaks a swing set, a pufferfish who ruins a cake, and a lamb who chops up a hose. Things don’t go very well for the group once they reach the library, and Lola finally learns how to deal with accidents—by keeping calm and trying to make amends. Tsurumi’s hilarious dialogue and story is matched only by her drawings. Her world-building ability evokes the style of Richard Scarry; there’s something going on in every inch of the page, and children will love to pore over the art again and again to see all the hysterical accidents occurring. With so much happening, it’s easy to overlook all of the clever details, like the narwhal in the background who pops a balloon with its horn or the mole who sits on a cactus, far away from the main action. Her choice of a 60’s color palette not only makes her characters pop of the page and add to their charm, but ensures that this book will age well and may be shared for decades to come. VERDICT A standout hit—make no mistake about it.–Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

This review was published in theSchool Library JournalNovember 2017 issue.